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Plane Trees


idun

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Apparently the french government wants many of the plane trees and poplars along french country roads to be cut down. They believe that they are the cause of the new increase in road deaths in France.

Those against say that research in the UK states that people tend to drive more slowly as the light through trees gives the impression of going faster than one actually is and tend to drive slower.

Me, I think that it will be a shame if the trees go, for so many reasons. I like the look of them, they are good habitat for nature, birds and wild life. And I do not believe that losing them it will stop accidents either.

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Not so sure about deaths but certainly accidents. There are loads of places I have visited where these big trees come all the way up to the edge of a junction which makes it very dangerous to join another road from a T junction because of lack of visibility. Actually it was the second reason for changing over to a LHD car, it can be even worse with a RHD car. So I would be in favour of removing them for 100M each side of junctions. Anyway I thought they were all dying anyway and would be cut down like on the canals.

Talking of dangerous things on roads they could do with banning the parking on zebra crossings as well and having the no parking bit either side like in the UK.

Another thing that really annoys me is why the French walk down the middle of roads when there is a pavement. Personally I hold my hand on the horn, point to the pavement and only release it when they get off the road, I mean I don't drive on their pavement so why should they walk on my road. [:@] Clearly being taught how to park is not part of the French drivng test either. At least driving in France is not sexist as both men and women are equally as bad.

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I agree with Norman. The trees are a terrible threat to careful drivers when they suddenly leap out in front of them on dark nights after a skin full of red!

Apart from the desease of the platan trees on the Canal du Midi there was a rhumour that the danger of the trees jumping out in front of boats is one of the reasons why they are cutting 40,000 of them down.

Has our Angey got an army now Gluey [8-)]

100 metres from a junction Q?? What kind of vehicle are you driving to need 100 metres? That's a lot of trees init!!

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I forgot to say that we have just had our 2 meur platan trees ripped out of the garden in front of our house. Well, we didn't want them rushing into our bedroom a few feet away did we [8-|]

But they were poorly with a canker really. We had tried to save them for several years, but no luck [:(]

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Last year, I had to help with engaging a qualified firm of arborealists to consult and act on our local parish church's 300 year old Copper Beech Tree. An utterly splendid tree. A main limb suddenly crashed down, into the oldest part of the graveyard. It was magnificent and so very sad.

A danger to life, as it sits next to a path to the busy church hall. Luckily, none of the old gravestones were damaged.

We now face the necessity of arranging complete removal, as the tree is diseased.

I love trees: many started in life well before me: and will still be there long after I am gone.

This year, much for Mrs G and I to do in France; as we have, last count 30 odd trees and they all need significant work and I am now too old to clamber up ladders wielding one of me trusty chain saws!

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Like glue stick, not plane trees, but in our Parc we've engaged a tree specialist to trim back our very old trees, which haven't had much done to them in the past 4 or 5 years. We've been very lucky not to have any torn down or lose branches during these last few months with stronger Mistrals growing more numerous.
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